These two might seem like straightforward antonyms, but there are a few differences to keep in mind. Overwhelm is a verb that means “to overpower” or “to cover or bury.” Underwhelm means “to fail to impress.” Basically, these words have opposite meanings. Overwhelm Overwhelm is a versatile verb. A situation can overwhelm someone. That same person can be overwhelmed by a situation. They might describe …
Both older and elder describe someone or something with the higher age in a comparison. Basically, they can both be the opposite of younger. They’re similar words that are usually interchangeable. For example, let’s say a woman has two sons, one 15 years old and one 18 years old. She could describe the 18-year-old boy as her older son or her elder son, and the …
Did you lose that sock in the dryer … or loose it?Lose is a verb, while loose is almost always an adjective. They’re often confused because of their similar spelling. When to use lose Lose can only be used as a verb. It describes when you “come to be without something” (e.g., to lose a sock in the laundry) or “to suffer defeat or fail …
It can be easy to mix up loath and loathe because of their extremely similar spellings, but here’s the difference: Loath is an adjective that means reluctant. Loathe is a transitive verb that means to be disgusted with. The fact that both words carry negative connotations also makes it easy to confuse them. It might help to know that their pronunciations are slightly different. Loath …
You’ve probably heard these words floating around various celebrations, but do you know the difference? Kudos is a noun that means “praise, honor, or acclaim.” Kudo is the singular version of kudos, but kudos is also singular. Kudos comes from the Greek word kydos, which means praise or renown. Kudos are usually offered in response to an exceptional achievement. A Brief History of Kudos The …
Insidious and invidious both describe the way someone does something bad. Insidious implies secrecy, while invidious is more open. An insidious action is sneaky and harmful. An invidious action is also negative, but it happens out in the open. Insidious Insidious actions are covert. Those who carry them out hope to accomplish some act of evil. For example, lies are insidious. Secret meetings and intrigue …
Inhibit and prohibit are both verbs that mean to prevent or to forbid. Both verbs require a direct object to make sense, and they always involve two parties. Though both words have similar definitions, inhibit and prohibit aren’t interchangeable. In general, someone is inhibited by internal feelings or prohibited by an external source. Inhibit Inhibit is a verb with several meanings, including “to restrain, hinder, …
Are you ready, Grammar Genius? Both ingenious and ingenuous are adjectives. Ingenious indicates cleverness or intelligence, while ingenuous refers to sincerity or a naive nature. How To Use Ingenious When you say ingenious out loud, it sounds like a combination of the words in and genius. Since a genius is an intelligent person, you can use that part of the word to associate ingenious with …
Recently, we looked up the etymology of the word occupy. We found an unexpected obsolete definition. The term occupy formerly meant something very different than its current common meaning. From the early 1500s to the 1800s, occupy was used to refer to sexual relations, as in “to occupy a woman” as defined in the Lexicon Balatronicum in 1811. When occupy was used in that sense, …
Whether you think it’s up to the hype or not, this celestial event brings along some spectacular lunar activity and equally fun vocabulary. While the names of many moon phases are rich in folklore, the supermoon became “super” because of Richard Nolle—an astrologer with a flair for the dramatic. What does supermoon mean? The prefix super is a Latin loanword meaning “above, beyond” and moon is derived from the Old English …
When someone casually uses a term they assume you understand but don’t, you have a few choices. You can get frustrated, or you can look it up. Financial jargon can be a code of confusing abbreviations and arithmetic. Let’s focus on one of the most common bits of shorthand: “the Dow.” What is the full name of the Dow? The full name for this measure of stock …